Probate

Any person that has died and has assets over £5,000, need probate. So what is it? Applying for the legal right to deal with someone’s property, money and possessions (their ‘estate’) when they die is called ‘applying for probate’.

If the person left a will, you’ll get a ‘grant of probate’.
If the person did not leave a will, you’ll get ‘letters of administration’.
You apply for both in the same way
You may not need probate if the person who died:
had jointly owned land, property, shares or money – these will automatically pass to the surviving owners
only had savings or premium bonds

Contact each asset holder (for example a bank or mortgage company) to find out if you’ll need probate to get access to their assets. Every organisation has its own rules. It can be a long-winded & daunting process, which is why some Executors come to us for help.